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In an exclusive with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey has urged Jurgen Klopp to shake things up at Liverpool, specifically in the final third.

Liverpool had previously gone 68 games unbeaten at Anfield but they now find themselves on the end of a six-game losing streak at home in the Premier League, in which they’ve scored just one goal and conceded 10 times.

Mohamed Salah is still the Premier League’s top scorer with 17 goals this season, however, with Diogo Jota back fit Klopp may be forced into giving the Portuguese some starts ahead of one of the traditional front three of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Salah.

The Reds currently find themselves eighth in the league and seven points away from the top four so, Klopp may look to freshen things up all over the pitch.

Speaking on Liverpool’s struggles at home in recent months and what Klopp could do as he looks to find a way to halt their slide of poor results, Howey spoke exclusively to FFC:

“Obviously, he’s got to freshen it up. They hadn’t been beaten in 68 games and now it’s six [home league] defeats on the bounce.

“So, something needs to change. Of course, they’ve had bad injuries but so have every other team.

“Yes, it’s been to key players but everyone else has had to cope and you’d think Liverpool would be more than capable to cope with those injuries.

“They’ve still got good players who can deputise and come in to do a job.”

Liverpool have Fabinho back from injury now after he started in the 2-0 win over RB Leipzig on Wednesday evening who will be able to do a job at the back if required.

Klopp will be desperate to get both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez back from their long term injuries if they are to bounce back next season.

Davinson Sanchez’s future with Tottenham under Jose Mourinho looks to be in serious doubt after his nightmare display against Manchester City at the weekend.

The Portuguese manager has rotated between Sanchez, Eric Dier, Toby Alderweireld and Joe Rodon at centre-back for much of the season but has been unable to find a reliable pairing in recent weeks, with the North London club having now shipped eight goals in their last two fixtures.

Spurs lost 5-4 against Everton in midweek, and whilst Sanchez scored twice in that game, former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara labelled the Colombian the worst player on the pitch at Goodison Park.

The former Ajax man followed this up with another disastrous performance against City, in which he was well and truly embarrassed by Ilkay Gundogan after Ederson’s long ball caught him out.

It has been well documented that in Manchester United’s Europa League final win against Ajax in 2017, Mourinho encouraged his players to target Sanchez as he believed he wasn’t good enough on the ball, so it is perhaps not a surprise that he has been left on the bench for a lot of games this season.

When discussing the centre-back on talkSPORT earlier this season, Tony Cascarino struggled to comprehend how a man Mourinho had specifically targeted was now at the heart of his defence, saying:

“That was one of the tactics that Jose used thinking he was a weakness. He’s now in the heart of the defence of Spurs. A guy that Jose obviously didn’t rate and saw as a weak link on the night and tried to expose him and they did.

“That tells you everything you need to know about that back four.”

Sanchez has struggled to ever rediscover the form he showed in his first two seasons with Spurs and has averaged a shocking 6.43 rating for his performances in the Premier League this season, which is significantly worse than the likes of Dier and Alderweireld.

Therefore, after his latest disaster, it is hard to see Sanchez recovering and establishing himself as a regular for Mourinho in the Premier League, so it is fair to suggest that the £36 million-rated man could well be finished at the North London club should the Portuguese manager remain in charge this summer.

And, in other news… Spurs dud was dribbled past five times against City; he’s not good enough for Mourinho 

A lot of the clamour at Spurs this season has been about the progress of Oliver Skipp in a very lucrative loan spell at Championship front-runners Norwich City.

And quite rightly too as the 20-year-old has emerged as a genuine option for Jose Mourinho to consider in his first-team come the summer.

Skipp is just one of two players to feature and start every single one of Norwich’s 34 league games this term, while he’s making his presence felt at the base of midfield by averaging 2.1 tackles per game, via WhoScored.

Canaries boss Daniel Farke has constantly raved about the Spurs gem, most recently dubbing him the “perfect lad” whilst there have been calls for Mourinho to get him involved, as per Dean Ashton at talkSPORT.

However, he’s not the only young midfielder impressing in a loan spell and as a result, he may well face competition for that spot alongside arguable Player of the Season, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Harvey White is also picking up invaluable game time at a senior level, featuring for League One promotion chasers Portsmouth, where he has finally cemented his place amongst the starting XI.

Indeed, the 19-year-old maestro has started their last three league outings and even scored on his full debut, heading home the winner at Oxford United.

And whilst Skipp is proving to be a solid defensively-minded option – very much in the same vein as Hojbjerg – White is showing a different ability in the sense of contributing in both boxes.

As per WhoScored, the teenage prodigy has averaged 1.6 tackles and 1.1 shots per game, which only emphasises his ability as a box-to-box option in the long run. His impressive work-rate helps stop the opposition, and clearly, he’s getting far enough up the pitch to have a pop at goal too.

This is something reinforced by HampshireLive’s Jonty Colman, who claimed to football.london that he’s been versatile enough to play as a narrow left-winger. He also added:

“On the face of it, he looks small compared to the average brute of League One, but he battles and is relentless. Plenty of encouraging signs so far,” said the Pompey reporter. “They [fans]have been very impressed in the last two games, as he has shown some real quality on the ball.”

He ended by saying that “Mourinho is bound to be impressed by the progress he is making.”

White has even been likened to Harry Kane by Joe Gallen since joining the League One giants in January – the Portsmouth assistant was at Millwall when a fresh-faced Kane rocked up at the Den.

“Harvey’s definitely got a big future. He’s got a lot of ability, but his mentality is also very, very good, especially for such a young player,” said Gallen before adding: “He [Kane] and Harvey are very similar people, they have very similar attitudes, a similar mentality.”

So, can he contend with Skipp?

You’d have to say yes as he offers something vastly different to Hojbjerg, whereas Skipp would create a more defensive double-pivot, White could be a long-term heir to Moussa Sissoko – or if Harry Winks’ Spanish interest comes to fruition.

Mauricio Pochettino was said to rate Spurs gem highly whilst White’s involvement in the first-team earlier this season would have undoubtedly made the decision to ship him out on loan a tricky call to make, especially when you see the youngsters involved in the Europa League.

He’d be a more perfect fit alongside the Danish powerhouse, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, £35m-rated flop could see his Spurs career saved if Levy appoints Nagelsmann…

Former Scotland international Alan Hutton believes that Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths could make the difference in the Old Firm clash against Rangers.

Griffiths is a key piece of Bhoys puzzle

The two sides will lock horns once more at Ibrox just after the New Year and all eyes have been on the Bhoys’ poor start to the 2020/21 campaign.

After winning the quadruple-treble, Neil Lennon’s side have hit a run of form having gone undefeated in their last seven matches in all competitions.

Celtic’s number nine, Griffiths, has played a huge part in this, having scored twice in his side’s last three Scottish Premiership encounters (Whoscored).

As a result, Hutton believes that this could play into the hands of the green half of Glasgow.

“Their form has turned. They’re hitting the heights at the right time,” he told Football Insider.

“If you see some of the movement for some of the goals in recent games, it’s been between those two boys [Griffiths and Edouard], so they seem to be clicking at the right moment.

“I’ve been very impressed. I’ve spoken throughout the season about what a miss Griffiths has been. He’s a great goalscorer, he’s that guy who, who normally only needs one or two opportunities before he scores a goal.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

The old saying goes, the form book goes out of the window going into a huge game such as this one.

With their arch-rivals sitting 16 points clear with three games in hand, getting a victory here could be a huge momentum shift in terms of this season’s league title.

Because of this, Hutton is spot on. Griffiths has hit form just at the right time and the motivation of securing 10-in-a-row will be ringing in his ears. The Scot will not need reminding.

In other news, Celtic receive potential transfer boost in pursuit of ‘excellent’ young star.

Marcus Rashford is expected to start for Manchester United as they play host to Liverpool at Old Trafford in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made his priorities clear after he confirmed that he will make a few changes for the FA Cup clash with Liverpool. The Red Devils face the Reds later today, with the visitors missing some key men like Diogo Jota and Virgil van Dijk, who are both currently out injured.

With several options at his disposal and a trip to Arsenal on the horizon, the Norwegian faces a balancing act and it could result in Dean Henderson being given a chance from the off, with the 23-year-old making just nine appearances across all competitions this season.

Here is Football FanCast’s predicted starting line-up for this afternoon, which sees Solskjaer make five changes for Sunday’s fourth round tie at Old Trafford.

As we mentioned earlier, Henderson may get the nod, though David de Gea will be on the bench.

With all of their first-choice centre-backs available, Solskjaer is expected to name largely the same back four that faced the Reds at Anfield, barring Luke Shaw, who will likely drop to the bench to make way for Alex Telles.

Scott McTominay is another who should be handed a start as Solskjaer is set to name a near relatively strong side to square off against Jurgen Klopp’s men.

This means that Paul Pogba will probably take up position alongside Bruno Fernandes on the left wing, with Rashford – who earns wages worth £200,000-per-week – resuming his place on the right flank after coming off the bench in the second half at Craven Cottage.

However, there is no room for Donny van de Beek, who seems to be chomping at the bit to get his career back on track.

With Anthony Martial an injury doubt, Edinson Cavani is likely to lead the line in his absence.

AND in other news, Manchester United could find another Bruno Fernandes in Inter Milan’s Christian Eriksen…

After ten years progressing through the ranks at West Brom, Louie Barry couldn’t turn down the opportunity to sign for European heavyweights Barcelona, though the story since has been one massive nightmare for the Midlands side…

What’s been the saga?

The Baggies were entitled to compensation over the 17-year-old, which they subsequently never received, leading to the club’s hierarchy reporting the La Liga giants to FIFA.

As per the Express & Star, Barca were ordered to pay just £235k, though to this day, it is still yet to be resolved.

The Catalan outfit have even gone onto profit from his sale since as Albion’s arch-rivals Aston Villa successfully signed him in a €1m (£900k) deal last January.

And if that’s not enough, he’s hit the ground running in their youth team…

How is Barry getting on now?

The England U17 international has featured regularly for their U23 squad despite being just 17, scoring four goals in seven Premier League 2 matches this term so far.

Whilst he made his first appearance in the EFL Trophy earlier in the campaign, losing 3-0 to Fleetwood Town.

Barry’s latest outing was witnessed by Villa boss Dean Smith, who spoke glowingly after the match and said:

“I saw him for 20 minutes in a game last week for the under-23s. He has really good movement and is a bright young kid. I am sure he will be a hit at Aston Villa but we can’t forget he is only 16. I am excited by the potential he has got, that is for sure. That is why we have gone and got him.”

Whilst other reports claim that the former Baggies academy sensation has ‘clever’ movement – ‘He’s pacey, too, but it’s his close control and his bravery to dribble at his opponents – often beating them one-on-one – that makes him a joy to watch.’

You can’t help but feel that Albion chief Luke Dowling made a shockingly bad call to not offer the emerging prospect a contract package that would’ve been worth staying for at the Hawthorns.

At this rate, it’ll only be a matter of time before the teenage goal machine comes back to truly haunt his former club.

AND in other news, West Brom shouldn’t offer rarely-seen talent a new contract…

Liverpool have been linked with a shock move for Manchester City defender Eric Garcia recently, and the Spanish defender could prove to be an excellent addition to Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

The 19-year-old’s contract with City is set to expire at the end of the current season and he has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, where he started his career in the La Masia academy.

In his career, he has made 30 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side and established himself in the City first-team last season, making 13 appearances in the Premier League, averaging a 6.69 rating.

However, it seems that he was not willing to sign a new contract with the club, as he refused City’s offer and made it clear that he wanted to leave, with it also suggested that the Citizens would demand £30 million for his services.

This was in the summer, however, and you imagine that as we get closer to his contract expiring, his value will decrease dramatically, especially as Barcelona could begin negotiations with him in January with the view to signing him on a free transfer.

Therefore, despite Liverpool being direct rivals in the Premier League, City may well be tempted to sell to the Merseyside club in January at a cut-price deal, rather than potentially receiving nothing for him if he were to re-join Barcelona.

Whilst Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips have impressed filling in at centre-back this season, the injury-prone nature of Joel Matip suggests that Klopp could continue to be short of defensive options throughout the season unless the Reds add to their squad in next month’s transfer window.

Therefore, completing a deal for the £18 million rated Garcia would make a lot of sense, as he has already shown his ability to play at the very top with Guardiola’s side.

Guardiola was full of praise for the young defender earlier this year, saying:

“He doesn’t make mistakes, he’s always focused and this game we knew we would play against dynamic, fast players.”

Liverpool would definitely be signing a player who is already capable of playing in the Premier League and is still just 19-years-old, so it would be a great piece of business from Michael Edwards if he could seal a bargain deal for the City ace in January.

And in other news… Klopp must perform transfer U-turn on teenage “sensation” who can replace Jota

Celtic were outfought and outplayed on their own patch by their arch-rivals on Saturday afternoon, leaving Neil Lennon with everything to do if his side is to secure a record-breaking tenth successive Scottish Premiership title.

It was the second match in as many seasons that Rangers have come to Parkhead and been the better side but only this time, the defending champions failed to find the net nor did they manage to have a single shot on target.

Although once again, they were undone by a Light Blues centre-back with Conor Goldson surprisingly finding himself on the scoresheet with a match-winning brace.

You could pick many holes in Lennon’s side, right across the pitch, as the Hoops were without a plethora of usual first-team starters ranging from Ryan Christie in attacking midfield to leading talisman Odsonne Edouard upfront.

But that does not excuse the shocking display by some who were trusted enough to start instead, none more so than fringe star Olivier Ntcham, who had been linked with an exit to the Premier League throughout the summer. Celtic reportedly valued their man at £12m.

SofaScore graded the 24-year-old as the worst player on the pitch with a miserable 5.9 rating – he lost possession 13 times, failed to win a single duel from six attempts, was dribbled past twice and made a pathetic 69% of his 16 passes.

GlasgowLive gave Ntcham a 4/10 and claimed he has been “absolutely lost this season” whilst the Daily Record were equally scathing in giving him one notch better, claiming he was “unable to get to grips with the likes of [Glen] Kamara and [Steven] Davis.”

Not only was he lightweight, but he was largely anonymous too with fellow midfielders Callum McGregor and Scott Brown making at least 37 passes themselves.

It’s no wonder that the young Frenchman was pulled before the 70th minute and he ought to be wary with Christie set to return in due course whilst summer arrival David Turnbull and forgotten man Tom Rogic featured off the bench, so his place is by no means safe and secure.

Ntcham’s sixth start of the season in the SPFL could well be his last for quite some time going by that showing – with an enormous tie with AC Milan on Thursday before a trip to fourth-placed Aberdeen, Lennon will surely look to other options.

AND in other news, Controversial treble winner has thrived since leaving Celtic on a FREE…

An expert on matters in the Middle East has made a big revelation regarding a possible takeover of Newcastle United by Sheikh Khaled bin Saqr Zayed al-Nayhan.

As per The Independent, his name was first mentioned in football circles when he was involved in takeover attempts at both St. James’ Park and Liverpool, and now, it looks like he is set to complete a purchase of Derby County.

When asked about the realistic expectations that Rams fans should have once Sheik Khaled completes the takeover of the EFL Championship club, Middle East expert Dr Kristian Ulrichsen of Rice University claimed:

“Let’s be brutally honest, maybe he’s found his level. He’s not been able to play in the big league, the Premier League. He might have gone down. There might be other reasons, he could have found a business partner in the Midlands.“But having gone for Liverpool and Newcastle, and obviously not being the name that had been thought, he could have found his level.” Newcastle takeover by Sheik Khaled unrealistic

Indeed, as Dr Ulrichsen suggests, perhaps a takeover in the North East by Sheik Khaled was unrealistic.

He failed with takeovers of both the Tyneside club and Liverpool, who are both very much established teams in the top flight.

On the other hand, Derby are lingering right at the bottom of the Championship table, and it looks as if the takeover of the Rams by Sheik Khaled will indeed go ahead.

Perhaps this kind of club is around his level as suggested, as he will now look to build them up and help them return to England’s highest division alongside the likes of the Magpies and the current EPL champions.

Is a Newcastle takeover still possible?

Indeed, if not from Sheik Khaled, a takeover at the Toon is still very much a possibility. The Saudi Sports Minister fairly recently claimed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) would still look into the opportunity of taking over at NUFC.

Nonetheless, any hope of a takeover by Sheik Khaled seems dead in the water now as he has now set his sights set on Derby instead.

In other news, find out why takeover hopes may potentially be boosted here!

Ryan Christie was one of many players who produced a great performance for Celtic against St. Mirren in the Scottish Premiership as the Hoops came away with a 2-1 victory on Wednesday. We have taken a closer look at his performance in the latest edition of our Unsung Hero feature.

Celtic have won all but one of their fixtures this season, with the other being a draw, per SPFL, so it has been a pretty solid start to for the reigning Champions. They thrashed Ross County 5-0 at the weekend, but this latest fixture wasn’t as easy as they went behind in the first five minutes.

Goals came from defender Shane Duffy, who has now made it two in his first two appearances for the Hoops, and James Forrest, per SofaScore, and they rightfully stole the headlines. However without the impact of Christie it would have been interesting to see if Celtic would have picked up the three points from the tricky away fixture.

The midfielder played all 90 minutes and clearly it was a great decision by Neil Lennon to only use the Scotsman for 20 minutes in their last fixture to keep him fresh as he dominated in the middle of the pitch. The 25 year-old completed 43 passes, with six of them being key passes, per SofaScore, whilst he also finished the game with five accurate crosses and two accurate long balls.

He clearly was the creative spark on the pitch, as not only did he create three big chances, he also assisted both goals, completed all four of his dribble attempts, and even helped out defensively as he made one interception, one tackle and two clearances, per SofaScore.

Christie shone in this performance, picking up a 9.8 rating from SofaScore, and it showed how essential he is to the club, especially in the odd occasion when they are behind. If he continues to perform in this manner, then there is no doubt that the Hoops can retain the title and make Scottish history by being the first team in the country to win the title ten times in a row.

Celtic fans, what were your thoughts on Christie’s performance? Comment below!